About Me

Lutherie is in my name, and in my blood.

I'm not sure my parents knew it, but as soon as they named me, they created a woodworker. What else could I be, given that Fabrizio means "craftsman" and Alberico means "tree"? And since my Grandmother was a D’Addario of the famous string-making family, you could say I was destined to become a luthier.

My first real introduction to the guitar came during University, when I was looking to learn an instrument that was more portable than the piano. I loved the fact that it was relatively simple to play, yet incredibly difficult to play well. The more I learned about the fingerstyle approach vs. strumming, the more I realized that very few guitars deliver the responsiveness, balance, dynamic range, and complexity of tone that I appreciated. What began as a curiosity about how the guitar is built, quickly developed into my education as a luthier, informally at first, and then through an apprenticeship with master luthier Sergei de Jonge of Oshawa, Ontario, Canada.

Sergei has been building exquisite concert classical guitars for over 40 years. His classical guitars possess the tonal qualities that are so elusive in the steel-string world, and many of his ideas on construction and bracing have crossed over into the steel-string with great success. I have combined these ideas with those of other great builders, added a few of my own innovations, and come up with designs for guitars that are ideal for fingerstyle players.

My shop is located in beautiful, temperate Victoria, British Columbia. It's the perfect climate for instrument-making.

"If you want a thing done well, do it yourself." Napoleon I

I am, by choice and by nature, a man who works best alone. I view the process of making instruments as a peculiar combination of art, science, and alchemy, and my yearly production is extremely limited. I tune each top to achieve a desired result, and all other components are selected and shaped to fit in with the original vision for the instrument. My total involvement in every step of the process, other than being personally gratifying, ensures that consistently excellent instruments are created, not just guitars.